But after the data, the Paris CAC-40 finished in the red, despite a 0.3 percent rise in shares of Alcatel-Lucent after it announced Tuesday it would work with Research In Motion to distribute the BlackBerry in China. Shares of RIM up over 8 percent.

In Sweden, truck maker Volvo reported a slightly smaller-than-expected increase in third-quarter pretax earnings but raised its guidance for its European market this year, sending shares higher by 5.2 percent before the close.